Gas-purifying apparatus



A. L. GALUSHA GAS PURIFYING' APPARATUS www In von/tor.

Dec. 4 1923.

A. L.. GALUSHA GAS PURIFYING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invair/tar.

0 eration of Patented Dec.. 4, 1923.

UNITED STATES ALBERT L. GALUSHA, 0F SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAS-PURIFYING APPARATUS.

Application led May 24,

Be it known that l. ALBERT li. (immun, a citizen of the United States. residincr at Sharon. iu the county of Norfolk and tate 6 of Massachusetts. have invented certain new und useful Improvements in Gaslurifyin .ilppai-atus; and l do hereby declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable l0 others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to gas producer plants and more particularlyv to a gas purifying apparatus or scrubber for use in connection with such plants to effect the coolmg.l cleaning and ated thereby.

(lne of the objects of the invention is to improve the construction and mode of opgas purifying devices to adapt them to furnish perfectly' clean gas suitable for use in an internal combustion engine.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for effecting a substantial reduction in the temperature of the gas as close as possible tothe producer to void any long lengths of heated pipes and the liability of burning of the gas and resulting impairment in of air at the various connections or valves, as in rior constructions.

Anot ier object of the invention is to produce an effective and reliable gas purifying apparatus, of simple and practical con= struction, which is greatly reduced in size and weight from those heretofore used.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a gas purifying device, au improved compact and effective means for drying the gas after it has been cleaned and before it leaves said device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a gas purifying apparatus which will perform its functions equally well Whether it. is maintained in a level position or is tilted to one side or the other. as for example, when installed on a ship or boat.

To the accomplishment of the objects of the invention above referred to and such others which may hereinafter appear. the invention comprises the features and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be drying of the gas generap'parent to those skilled in the art.

he preferred form of the `invention is quality due to inward leaking- 19`19. Serial N0. 299,457.

illustrated in the accompanyin which :-Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, illustratingr the application to a gas producer of a gas purifying apparatus embody'- ing the present invention; Fig. 2 isa viewin end elevation of the gas purifying apparatus. looking from the right in Fig. 1; Figa* thereof on an enlarggedl 3 is a sectional view scale taken on the line ing in the direction of a view partly in 3 3 of Fig. 2, look-V the arrows; Fig. 4 iS of Fig. 3. an on a still further enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is` a detail plan 'view of two of the baille plates employed in the apparatus, illustrating the manner in which they are assembled; and Fig. (i is a perspective view of one of the battle plates. i

ln Fig. 1 of the drawings a gas producing and purifying plant is illustrated, comprising a gas producer or generator S'and a purifying apparatus 9, through which the gas passes from the producer to the point of use. The producer 8 is suitably supported upon a foundation 1t) and is provided with a gas outlet 11 rifyiug device durer in close D being secured to the outwardly turnedend of a hollow elbow the top of the producer and connects the outlet 11 thereof with an opening 13 at one side of the purifier.

The purifying apparatus comprises. in general, a scrubber or primary cleaning 9 is mounted upon the procbamber 14. which receives the gas directlly7 from the producer, and a secondary chamber 15, containing purifying and drying devices through which the gas passes after leaving the scrubber. The scrubber chamber 14 is filled with baille material 16. such as broken stone. over which ismaintained a constant llow ot cold water and thegas is cooled and cleaned as it passes slowly therethrough. ln the secondary chamber 15 the v gas flows at relatively high velocity through a plurality of restricted tortuous passages, wherein first 1t .is further cleansedV and later. before the gas leaves the passages. the

moisture entrained therein is thoroughly removed. Thus the gas finally drawn olf from the apparatus is cool and perfectly clean and dri'.

The `various parts of the purifyin apriratu-s are all assembled within a. sing e shed drawingsin plan. and partlyY in section at the top thereof.` The pu-' proximityr to the outlet 11,

l2 which projects from' or casin 18 of recta lar, inverted L- shape, w ich is rovide with a removable top late 19. he primary or scrubbing cham r 14 is enclosed by a vertically dis- I posed portion of the casing 18 which is secured to the elbow 12, while the seconder chamber extends laterally from the wa l of the scrubbing chamber at the top thereof. The two chambers are separated by a lll partition wall 20 extending part wa from the bottom of the chamber 15 to t e to plate 19, leaving an openin 21 throng V"lll'llich the gas enters said c amber. The purified gas leaves the secondary chamber u 15 throu h the open upper end of the ver tical conduit 22` which is formed integrally with the casing 18, rising to the upper portion of the chamber 15 end extendmg below the bottom thereof sufficiently for connec- *0 tion to a delivery pipe 23 which conveys the gas to the engine or other gas consuming element. In order to permit the escape of the products of combustion in case the engine is shut down, a vent pipe 24 is provided at the bottom of the primary chamber 14 through which the gas may be diverted before passing through the scrubber and discharged directly into the air. Normally thevent pipe 24 is closed by means of 3 a suitable Valve 25 which is located close to vthe purifier casing 18.

In the scrubbing chamber 14 the hable material 16, which consists of crushed stone or other broken and fire proof substance,

u is supported upon va grate 28 which is located near the bottom of the chamber and so constructed as to permit the passage therethrough of the gas but not of the baille material. The constant flow of cool water 0 is maintained throughout the mass of baille material by means of the sprinkler pipes 29 which branch from a main water supply pipe 30 and extend horizontally through the upper part of the chamber 14. Inasmuch vas the passage 14 is rectangular in cross secftion, an absolutely uniform water distribution may be obtained by the use of ordinary straight sprinkler pipes. The openings in the sprinkler pipes are so arranged o that the water will be. sprayed evenly over the surface ofthe baille material, as indicated at 31 in Fig, 3, and percolates downwardly through the mass. A drain pipe 32 `leads from the bottom of the chamber 14 to carry away the waste water.

The gas from the producer consists largely of carbon monoxide as a result of the burning of the fuel with a limited air sup- .plgp'pnd' consequently it will become ignited if 1t 1s allowed, while still hot, to come into ,con Aacl'. with the'air. The gas is, of course,

w. ved from the reducer-Het a high degree Hf an inasmu asair is liable l gpto'fthe primary amber of the n's, for example, around the vent pipe 24 or its valve there is danger that the gas may become ignited in said chamber.

In order to prevent possible loss of gas by burnin and the resulting reduction in quality o the unburned gas. provision is made for cooling the gas before it is discharged into the primary chamber of the purifying apparatus. To this end the oponing 13 in the side wall thereof is located a considerable distance above thc grate which supports tbc baille mat/arial and a conduit 3-1 is provided to convey the gas, received through said opening, to a point below the grate. This conduit 34 forms an extension of the passage within the elbow 11 and is surroundcd by the continuously cold baille material und descending water so that said conduit constitutes a cooling chamber in which the incoming gas is materialljvY coolcd to such un extent that its temperature is reduced below the ignition point before it is discharged into the bottoni of the scrubbing chamber 14. inasmuch as the vcnt pipe vulve is located beyond the cooling chamber, und the temperature of the gus is reduced below the ignition point before it is discharged into the scrubbing chumhcr, an)7 inward leakage of air which may possibly occur at the vent pipe will not cause ignition und deterioration in quality of the gas und consequently will not be objectionable. Furthermore there will be no tendency for the vent pipe valve to become warped or damaged by hot gas as is liable to be the case where said valve is located in the pipe which receives the hot gas directly from the producer.

The gas passes from the bottom of the primary chamber 14 through the grate 28 and rises through the crushed baille material 16, the effective cross-sectional area of the chamber being relatively large so that the gas moves at low velocity in passing from the bottom to the top thereof. During this slow upward movement of the gas, it is still further cooled and also is cleansed by the passage through the gas ol the water in more or less finely divided streams ori drops. The water not only absorbs the soluble material contained in the gas, but removes or washes out a large percentage of the solid impurities such as soot and small particles of dust. l f

After being subjected` to the above described scrubbing process in ythe prinmryY chamber 14, the partially purified gas passes into the secondary chamber 15, through the openingr 21, and flows through the tortuous passages formed therein, which are indicatori at 36 in Fig. 4. wherein thi` extremely fine particles of dust which escape from the scrubber are taken out. The passages 36 together` have a cross-sectional area which 1s considerably less than the area of the inlet 21 of the chamber 15.ai1d veriI much lesswlthan `the effective crossisectional area of the primary chamber 14, so that they provide a restricted outlet for the gas, which `(.'onsequently Hows through the passages at relativelyhigh velocity as compared with its movement through the scrubber 14. The

assages 36 are formed, throughout their length, with many successive 180 turns which reverse the direction of flow of the gas. The walls of the passages, near the entrance ends, are kept wet with water which entersy the passages at the top and flows downwardly in thin films over the walls thereof. By reason of the `relativelyhigh velocity of gas and the repeated abrupt changes in its direction of flow, all the solid particles remaining therein are projected withjorce againstL the walls of the passa es .and into the lilm of water which ho ds them and carries them down the walls and finally away through the drain pipe. The latter portions of the tortuous passages, the walls ofv which do not receive any water, Serve to dry the gas, any particles ofmoisture carried thereby impinging against the walls and -trickling down the same. By reason of the peculiar construction of the walls of the tortuous passages, the solid impuritiesin the gas are practically shot against said walls in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto, as the gas Hows through said passages, thus insuring the entrapping of all such impurities by the `Film of water which envelopes the walls.

The tortuous passages 36 are formedbetween a plurality of grids or balile plates 38, eachA comprising a central web from both sides `of which project perpendicularly a lplurality of ribs 39 that are equally spaced apart. The battle plates 38 are set up side by side in the secondary chamber 15, with the ribs 39 vertically disposed, the ribs of one plate extending into the spaces between the ribs of the adjacent plate in such a manner that a conduit is provided, havin tor`- tuous passages of substantially uniform width, through which the gas may flow in a general horizontal direction.

In the construction shown, the grids or baille plates 38 are castsymmetrically, so that when assembled they may be turned end for end alternately. ln order that the baille plates when turned end for end and assembled may be spaced aparttbe required distance, with the cooperating ribs properly alincd, one end of each plate is formed with thickened portions or shoulders 40 at the top and bottom thereof. which are shaped as shown clearly in Figs. 5 and 6. By means of this construction a firm and rigid struc-V ture isV assured when the grids are assembled and relative displacement is prevented. The side grids are castwith ribs and shoulders Qigong si'deplrilyof,the central 'web :and lthe whole grid assembly is held in osition in the chamber 15 by means of ang e irons 4 1, backed by a layer of cement 42 as shown in Fi 4.

ign order that the walls of the passages 36 may he kept wet for a certain distance from the ends first encountered by the gas, a row of holes is provided in the side of tbc sprinkler pipe 29 nearer the chamber 15, through which holes water is sprayed upon the walls. A hole is arran `d opposite the entrance to each passage an Serves to dirert a stream of water into the entrance tbertL of at the top, as shown at 43 in Figs. 3 and 4. The water penetrates far enough into the passages 36 so that an ample area gof wet suri face is provided to insure the com ilete re moral of all the solid impurities rom the gas. The rearward portions of the tortuous passages serve to dry the gas by collecting on their walls all the articles of mois ture carried` by the gas. Tlie water which is sprayed into the inlet ends of the passages 36 from the sprinkler pipe, and the water which collects on the walls of the drving sections of the passages is led away rom the bottom of the chamber 15 by means of the drain pipe 45.

5y means of the herein described arrangement of tortuous passages, wherein the gas is forcibly directed against the wet walls thereof, the solid material contained in the gas is thrown into contact with the Water, instead of the water being sprayed through the slowly moving gas,` as in devices of this character heretofore generally used. Where water is merely sprayed through the gas which is to be oleane it does not come in Contact with all of the dust and dirt contained therein and as a result the gas is not thoroughlv purified. With the resent con struction owever, all of the solid matter in the as, by reason of itsgreater inertia, will )e shot into the thin lilm of water which Hows downwardly over the surfaces of the battle plates 38, and even the extremely fine dust. particles, such as invariably escape from the ordinary coke or baille scrubbers, are removed.

In order that the sprinkler pipes 29 may be readily cleaned or replaced when they become clogged or rusted, the following provision is made: 'lhe pipes are connected with branches 47 of the main water supply pipe 30, by means of elbows 48, und are provided with flanges 4Q which are welded or brazed onto the pipes between the elbows 48 andthe adjacent side of the casing 18 and' serve to close the openings through which the pipes enter the scrubbing chamber 14. At the opposite side of the casing 18 the sprinkler pipes` extend uthrough stuifing boxes 50 to the exterior of the easing where they are provided with hand controlled valves .il whichare normally kept o closed. Almost all of the dirt and sediment in the Waterwill collect near the 'extreme ends of the sprinkler pipes and may usually be removed by opening the valves 51 so that the sediment may be flushed out. If necessarv a swab may be introduced into the open ends of the pipes and pushed back and forth through the pipes to clean out any material which sticks to the inside thereof. Usually.I thecleaning can be accomplished quickly. by thus Bushing or swabbing the pipes without interfering with the operation of the dcvice or opening the casing 18 so as to per mit outward leakage of gas or inward leakage of air. If. however, the spray holes iu the sprinkler pipes have become so clogged that satisfactory cleanin cannot be effected in the manner describe the water can be shut off from the sprinkler pipes. and the 'pipes can be removed, one at a time, and

clean ones put in their places. This may be accomplished by removinv-the valves l aud disconnecting the sprinkler pipes from the elbows 48. The pipes may be thus removed without the necessity of shutting down the apparatus since the two openings left in the side of the scrubber casing by the removal of one of the pipes.I are too small to permit the escape of any material amount of g Convenient access to the interior of the casing 18 may be obtained through hand holes 52 (Fig. 2) in the casing 18. or through hand holes 53 in the top plate 19. The hand holes 52 are normally closed by covers 54. and the hand holes 53 are normally closed by covers 55, of plate ilass, through which an attendant may watc the spraying of the water from the sprinkler pipes and ascertain whether the water is being properly distributed. When flushing or otherwise cleaning the sprinkler pipes the transparent covers 55 also ermit the attendant to watch the progress ofp the cleaning operation. The entire top plate 19 may be removed. if desired, to afford access to portions of the interior of the device not readily reached from the hand holes.

Since the above described device furnishes cool and perfectly clean and dry gas, it is particularly ada ted for supplying gas for use in interna combustion engines. Moreover, by reason of its reduced weight and "compact arrangement it is especially fitted for installation upon trucks, ears, boats, or other portable outfits.

Certain features of the present apparatus particularly recommend it for use on a boat or ship. Purifying devices of ordinary construction which are installed on board a vessel fail to work properly when the vessel is listed, as for example, when running at an angle to a strong wind, because the cleansing water collects all `at the lower side of the apparatus where it will not come in Contact with the gas. In the present device, b means of the plurality of separate vertica cleaning or washing passages, each of which is provided with a continuous Supply of water, such a collection of water at one side of the device is impossible when the apparatus is mounted with the baille plates 38 extending lengthwise of the boat. Consequently no portion of the gas can pass through the apparatus without commg into contact with the water and being properly cooled and cleaned. Furthermore h v means of the herein described provision for drying the gas. after it has been cleaned, the use of salt water in the scrubber is rendered feasible, inasmuch as all the salt and water is removed in the dryer, before the gas reaches the engine.

It will be seen that a purifying device has been produced which is of a much smaller size than those which are ordinarily employed, and also that by mounting the device high up, at one side of the producer, no separate foundation or supports are required and a considerable saving of floor space is effected. It will be readily appreciated that these features are of particular importance when the apparatus is installed ou a ship. vehicle or portable device. Another advantage results from the iniproved construction and compact arrangement of the present purifying apparatus. permittingv it to be mounted closely ad'acent the outlet of the producer, thereiy avoiding the presence of long lengths of heated as pipes between the producer and the purifying` apparatus. It will be seen that the purif ing apparatus is mounted in such a way t at it is permitted to extend below the top of the generator. Such an arrangement enables the apparatus to be installed in low studded rooms or compartments such as are found on shipboard.

It will also be apparent that the present apparatus contains no pockets or crevices in which water or acids may collect and remain when the device is not in use. but the aqibmgement of the parts is such that all o the water will immediately be carried away as soon as the sup ly is shut olf. Consequently, there is no t anger of injury resulting to the apparatus by freezing of the water when the device is idle or corrosion of parts of the device by acids contained in the water.

lVhile the drawings illustrate the bale plates 38 as being arranged with their ribs disposed in vertical planes, thereb providing a series of tortuous passages t rough which the gas flows in a general horizontal direction, it is to be understood that the invention, except where so specitied in the claims, is not limited to such: an arrangement, but` may be embodied in other and diferent arrangements without "tiearting from the spirit of the invention. he `details of construction may also be variouslymodified within the limits defined by theclaims without departing from the invention.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is i 1. A gas purifying apparatus having, in combination, a coolin device into which the hot gas passes,` a elivery pipe for the cooled gas, and a vent pipe between the coolin device and the delivery pipe throu which the gas may be discharged direct y into the air.

2. A gas purifyin apparatus having, in combination a scruber for cleaning the gas, a cooling device llocated within the scrubber, a vent ipe through which the cooled gas may e discharged from the scrubber directly into the air before being cleaned, and me'ans for controlling the passage of gas through the vent pipe. l

3. A gas purifying a paratus having in combination, a combined cleaning and drying device having a passage therein pro vi e d with a plurality of 180 turns. in which the gas is first cleaned and thereafter dried as it passes therethrough, and means arranged to cause a flow of cleansing waterV over the walls of said trance end thereof.

4. A gas purifying apparatus having, in combination, a primary chamber, a secondary chamber at one side thereof and separated therefrom by a partition having an opening at the top, a plurality of substantially vertical walls extending from the t to'the bottom of the secondary chamber an passage at the en forming a plurality of tortuous gas pas.

sages and means for supplyin water to the primary chamber and throug the opening between the chambers into the entrance ends only of the gas passages, the outlet ends of the passages serving as drying surfaces to extract moisture from the cleansed gas.

5. A bailie plate for a gas purifying device com rising a central web having a plu.

ralityo transverse deilecting ribs extending from op osite sides thereof the plate being adapte for assembly in parallelism with similar plates to provide tortuous passages for lthe gas.

6. A bale plate for a gas urifyng. device comprising a central web having a pluintercommuicating passages havin 1,47a,ao2

rality of transverse deflecting ribs extending therefrom, the plate being adapted for assembly in parallelism with a similar plate to provide a tortuous passage for the gas, and provided with integral means for positioning the adjacent plate with relation thereto. l'

7. A bailie plate for a gas purifying dvioe comprising a central web having a plurality of transverse deflecting ribs extending therefrom, the plate being ada led for assembl in parallelism with a simi ar plate to provide a tortuous passage for the gas,

and provided with spacing means adjacent 9. A gas purifyinfr apparatus comprising 4 da cleaning chamber avin means for supplying cleansing water t ereto, and pro-` vided with a. plurality of independent nonv laterally extending portions which receive the water and in which impurities are removed from the as said assages insurin an even distri ution of t e water throng out the cleaning chamber in case it is tilted laterally. y

`10. A gas purifying apparatus having, in combination, a chamber provided with a gas inlet and a gas outlet at opposite ends thereof and having a plurality of tortuous nonintercommunicating passa es for constantly reversing the direction o vthe flow of the gas from the inlet end of the chamber to the outlet end, the passa es extending sub'- stantially vertical from t e top to the bottom of the chamber, and means for suppl ing water to the walls of the passages at t e top of the chamber and for draining away thewater from the bottom of the chamber.

ALBERT L. GALUSHA.

ics

Certicate of Correetion. It is hex-eb certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,476,292, grunted December 4,

1923, upon t e application of Albert l.. Guhxsha, nf Sharon, Massachusetts, fQr

an improvement in Gas-Purifying Apparatus, er1-ms appear in the printed specification requiring correction as fnllmvs: Page l, line 26, f or the word void read rwofl; puge 2, Ime 95, nftcr the word ppe jnscrt the wurd mmm,- pngc .3, line ,82,"clnim 8, after "the wurd rhnmln-r" insert the words tnmq/h tlm rijm:- iug in -the partition; uml that the said Letters Patent should he remi with these corrections therein that the sume muy conform to the recul-1l of Hw misc in the lantcnt (mire.

Signed al'. svnlell this lzth rhly uf ["clnrnzxry, D., 1924. ,f [smh] KARLYFENNING, 

